Here Are the Lessons I Learned From The Dark Knight Rises

[miss_s_b]

(Very minor spoilers ahead)

• Guns are great. Really really great. Even if you accidentally shoot someone who you are torturing for information, the information will fall into your lap immediately anyway, so don't worry about it. Batman is a bit weird for not liking guns and killing random people he's never met before, but it's an acceptable weirdness because other people can do the shooting and killing for him.


• Anyone who talks about police and government corruption is in it for their own ends. And even if the police and or government DID lie to you, cheat you, and hurt you, they did it for your own good and you should be grateful and never question them. Anybody who does question them is evil and should be ignored.


• Anyone who cares about their community, or is poor, or both, is a credulous moron who can be made to agree to anything by a charismatic leader. Even if you're stretching the definition of charistmatic leader to a police commissioner who looks like Ned Flanders or a man whose speech is incomprehensible half the time.


• You can only ever be truly happy and free if you stop caring about anyone other than yourself. Your father (figure) will find this not only acceptable, but laudable. If you really care about other people, you'll end up dead or mad.

The film is very well acted, and shot, and it passes Bechdel, and Catwoman is very cool. But it left a very nasty taste in my mouth for the above reasons. I also find it inconsistent with the tone of the previous two films, in which the citizen's of Gotham were shown to be more than sheep who could be easily manipulated by a criminal mastermind.

Comments

[yoyoangel]

It seemed really obvious to me, watching the film, that Holly was Kyle's girlfriend. I'm choosing to stick with that interpretation. :-)

[drunkwriter]

Well, me too on the whole - apart from the bit where Holly's dumped without a backward glance to make room for Selina's happy ever after. With that ending in mind, I almost prefer to think that they were Just Good Friends.

[yoyoangel]

I like to think Selina had just gone to visit Bruce in Florence before going home to her wife.